It’s raining medical timeouts at the Australian Open, as Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune face off in a high-stakes battle for a quarterfinal spot. The World No. 1, visibly struggling, has already taken two medical timeouts, sparking concern about his fitness. But now, it seems the tables have turned, with Rune needing a break of his own.

Sinner returned to the court after a lengthy 11-minute medical timeout, with Rune serving at 3-2 in the third set. The Italian quickly regained his composure, finding a crucial break at 4-3. However, just as the momentum appeared to swing in Sinner’s favor, Rune began to show signs of discomfort, halting play to take a medical timeout himself. Sinner’s reaction was telling—he couldn’t help but smile at the irony of Rune’s ‘revenge’ timeout.

Despite the disruptions, the defending Australian Open champion managed to stay focused, clinching the third set 6-3. After the Italian tennis player won the third set, the 13th seed Holger Rune took a toilet break. The score now stands at 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, with both players battling through setbacks in what has become a dramatic and unpredictable contest.

The former World No. 4, has already faced his fair share of physical tests at this year’s Australian Open. He opened the tournament with a grueling five-set win over Zhang Zhizhen, followed by his five-setter against Miomir Kecmanović in the third round. After battling for three hours and 27 minutes against Kecmanovic, the Dane had already spent over 13 hours on court in Melbourne.

The drama didn’t stop there. In his clash with Jannik Sinner, the match was delayed by 17 minutes in the fourth set when the Italian’s serve broke the net. Both players left the court to escape the blistering 33°C heat while the issue was resolved. Despite the interruptions, the defending champion kept his composure, sealing a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory to reach his third AO quarterfinals.

For Rune, it’s still a positive result, considering he last reached the fourth round in 2023. Last year, he exited in the second round as he fell to Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. The World No. 13 has struggled with consistency at hard-court majors, failing to make it past the second week in his last three. His journey back to the top 10 has been far from easy.

Holger Rune reflects on his inconsistent performance

The Danish star’s journey has been a work in progress a sentiment that reflects his career so far. Inconsistency and coaching changes plagued rune’s 2024 season. The Danish tennis player fell to 13 from 4 in the rankings. His Grand Slam results were marked by early exits and he failed to move past the semifinals 6 out of 7 times in ATP Masters tournaments.

The 21-year-old worked with Boris Becker in early 2024 but parted ways with him after a few months. He later reconciled with his ex coach Patrick Mouratoglou and then again split up with him. Rune eventually returned to Lars Christensen, his childhood coach, in early 2025.

Reflecting on his ups and downs, the former World No.4 shared a valuable lesson when he sat down with British GQ for an interview in January 2025.

He said, “I always thought this quote was boring, but ‘trust the process’ – it’s very important. There are moments when it’s not going that well and you feel like maybe you want to try different roads. But once you’ve found the right people in your team and are working in the right way, success is going to come one day. You just have to believe it and trust it.”

Can Rune find the stability he needs to break through and win his maiden Grand Slam soon?